Long Lost
by Commander Mander
Summary: German Shepard, recently revived by and now working with Cerberus, is introduced to an unlikely ally by Liara. Now she, along with some old friends, a new crew, and a brother she never knew, must fight the reapers to regain control of the galaxy.
1. Revival

It's been two years since Commander German Shepard had been killed following the destruction of the original Normandy, and her crew disbanded following her death. Two years later, by some divine circumstance had her body been recovered and brought back to life by Cerberus, giving her a second chance in her fight against the Reapers. Cerberus had brought her back to life for the sole purpose of gaining the knowledge on the Collectors and Reapers contained within her brain, but the disappearance of human colonies was not the only mystery on her mind. Who was the one who went through all the effort to recover her body in the first place, and why? She was recently told by Miranda Lawson, the leader of project Lazarus, and one of the bitchiest women she'd ever met, that it wasn't Cerberus that recovered her body originally, rather that an anonymous informant retrieved it and sent it to Cerberus, because they said they could bring her back.

"I guess it doesn't really matter. As long as I'm still alive, right? As long as I'm still me."

She shook off the thought and continued her path from her cabin to the Normandy's bridge, passing Kelly Chambers, her somewhat okay looking yeoman that she definitely planned on sleeping with eventually.

"Commander, you've received a new message at your private terminal." she called.

"What? Oh, yeah. Thanks." Shepard, obviously still distracted by the train of thought she'd been trying to shake off thought what better way to distract yourself than checking emails?

She continued on checking her messages.

"Let's see here, Krogan male enhancement, Illusive man stuff that I don't care about, Chakwas telling me how to live my life... oh, message from Liara T'soni? How did she find out I was alive?" Regardless, Shepard opened the message.

 **From: Liara T'soni**

 _ **Subject Line: Is this really you?**_

 _Shepard, I don't know whether or not this is some sort of sick joke or not, but I have sources telling me that you've returned. I saw you get blown away on the Normandy, and I just want to know... If you find yourself on Illium anytime soon, please come find me. I would love to see you._

 _\- Liara_

"Liara on Illium, eh? Yeoman Chambers, set course for Illium immediately."

When Shepard arrived on Illium she was immediately greeted by an Asari concierge.

"Greetings, Commander Shepard, and welcome to I-"

"Yeah yeah, I get it. I'm a big deal. Could you just do me a huge favor and point me in the direction of Liara T'soni's office?

"Oh, certainly. Her office is on the second floor. She'll be delighted to see you."

"Thanks, ma'am."

Shepard continued to the office and was stopped once again outside the door by Liara's assistant, whom identified herself as Nyxeris.

"Commander Shepard! Fancy finally meeting you in person. Liara has mentioned quite a bit about you and I'm sure she can't wait to see you!"

"So what does Liara do around here, exactly?"

"She'll explain everything once you're inside. You two have QUITE a bit of catching up to do."

 _Seems pretty suspicious,_ Shepard thought as she headed inside.

"Have you ever faced an Asari commando unit before? Few humans have. Let's make this clear, either you pay me, or I flay you alive... WITH MY MIND-"

"Liara?"

"Shepard! Nyxeris, hold my calls." Liara seductively strolled over to Shepard and took her hand as they embraced and shared a kiss.

"So Liara, flaying people alive with your mind now?"

"Shepard, I've missed you. Please, have a seat. We have a lot of catching up to do." She rushed, obviously avoiding Shepard's question.

Shepard, thinking Liara hadn't heard her the first time, reintroduced the topic.

"So what was that all about? That didn't sound anything like my innocent Liara."

"A lot has changed in the past two years, Shepard. I'm sure you're wondering what I'm doing on Illium."

Shepard nodded as if to say continue.

"Well, shortly after you... went away, I had to find another way to make ends meet, so I became an information broker, and a very good one. That's how I found out you were alive, in case you were wondering that as well."

"Information broker?" Shepard thought. "Well, how good are you?"

"Quite." She responded.

"So if I asked you to find some information for me, do you think you could pull through?"

"Maybe. And what sort of information are you attempting to get a hold of?"

"I want to know... who gave my body to Cerberus?"

Liara, taken aback by the question, flashed Shepard a look of concern.

"Why might you want to know that? All that matters is that you're alive."

"That's what I tried to tell myself, but I just can't seem to shake off the thought. I mean who would go through all that trouble to find my body, and then find someone who was willing to spend an exceptionally large sum of cash on a project to bring me back to life? I know it shouldn't matter, but I know this'll eat away at me unless I find out. I just want to thank whoever went through the effort to give me my life back."

Liara stood up and walked behind her chair, facing the window away from Shepard.

"After you were gone, I got a tip from someone saying that your body had been found and they needed help taking it from the Shadow Broker who'd been trying to sell you to the Collectors. They also said that Cerberus had put out a reward for anyone who was able to find you, and they guaranteed they'd be able to bring you back. So I met with... a man claiming to be an old friend of yours. We fought hard to retrieve your body, for a chance to bring you back. And now, here you are."

"A man? What kind of man? What was his name?"

"I'm sorry, I can't disclose that information myself, but if you'd like to speak with him personally, I can give you directions to his address. He lives on the Citadel. I think you'd be very interested in speaking with him. He'll explain everything."

"Uh, thanks, I guess. I'll let you get back to your information feeds. Oh, and one more thing."

Shepard pulled Liara in for one last smooch before heading out the door. She made her way back to the Normandy's docking bay and set forth coordinates for the Citadel.


	2. Admiral Alan

Shepard arrived on the Citadel with her crew, consisting of Miranda Lawson and Jacob Taylor, in tow. She took a look at the address Liara wrote down for her on the piece of paper.

"Let's see here, Apt 367 C."

They made their way to the Citadel Rapid Transit and zipped straight to the apartments. They arrived at the door of apt 367 C.

 _Okay, moment of truth,_ Shepard thought as she began knocking at the door.

"Wait, I'm sorry, but could you refresh my memory? Why are we here again?"

"Miranda, please shut up. I'm trying to think." Shepard snapped back.

Shepard sighed, and then mustered up the courage to knock on the door.

She was surprised when handsome looking man in casual Alliance gear, clearly no older or younger than herself, whom she certainly hadn't recognized, answered the door.

"Uh, hi." Shepard stuttered, slightly confused, as she'd literally been expecting an old friend.

The man glared at Shepard, then smiled at everyone before finally speaking.

"I'm sure you're very confused, German. I know you, but you don't know me, and I think it's time we get acquainted. My name is Alan. Please, do come in and make yourself comfortable. I'll explain everything once we're inside." the man said, shaking hands with everyone as they walked in.

Shepard, not only taken aback by his startling hospitality, couldn't shake off his familiar use of her first name. No one ever called her Shepard, except Liara SOMETIMES in VERY personal circumstances, and even then it made her somewhat uncomfortable.

As everyone took seats in the very spacious apartment, with large open windows letting in lots of sunlight, Alan came from the kitchen holding mugs and a coffee pot. He poured everyone a drink and took a seat on the couch across from Shepard.

"So, German, what do you want to know?"

Again, he called her by her first name, and it sent shivers down her spine.

"A mutual friend of our's, Liara T'soni, told me you'd have some intel on who retrieved my body and gave it to Cerberus."Shepard started.

"Although me and Liara did work together, it was my idea initially. I contacted her for help once I knew your location, knowing she was an information broker and she'd be able to help. I tried to go to the Alliance for help, but they weren't going to help me. Even with admiral's authority, it's really hard to get people to pay attention, so I went about it in the most discreet way possible, so the Alliance wouldn't scoff at me for trying to bring back a ghost."

"Wait a minute, you're an Admiral? But you're so-"

"Young? I know. They call me Admiral Alan. A little informal, but somewhat catchy. I like the nickname."

Shepard had just met the man, and already she felt herself becoming captivated by his character. But there was just something about him that was a little... off. Something almost comforting and familiar about him, even though she knew she was meeting him for the first time, it was almost as if they'd known each other forever.

"I-I've been dying to know. Why did you go though all that trouble just to bring me back?"

Alan took a sip of his coffee before continuing.

"Well, there's something about you that's very special that the Galaxy can't afford to lose. Right now, no one's listening to you, but I know the Reaper threat is real. People don't want to believe. You're the only person out there that CAN make people believe. You will be the saving grace, the one who unites the galaxy and against all odds, ultimately defeat the Reapers."

He paused and took another sip of his coffee.

"I've actually been keeping an eye on you for some time now. When I was younger, I was an orphan. I used to travel with gangs my during my youth, and I enrolled in the Alliance when I was 18 years old."

 _Hmm.. sounds a lot like my past, but why is he telling me this?,_ Shepard thought.

"Sometime ago, out of curiosity, I looked up if I had any family members. I was namely searching for my parents. Although I couldn't find any information on them, I did come across something. I think you should take a look."

He handed Shepard a large yellow envelope. Shepard curiously took it, and opened it with care. She pulled out the stack of papers and began looking through. Suddenly a look of shock came upon her face. Her eyes widened and she took a deep breath in.

"WAIT YOU'RE-"

He stood up and saluted.

"Admiral Alan Shepard." He smiled, and sat back down.

"Wait I have a-" Shepard was still shaken by the realization.

"Wait, what's going on? I'm lost here." Miranda interrupted.

"He's my... brother."

 _Wait, this handsome young man is Shepard's brother? Quite enticing.._ Miranda thought.

"When did you find out?"

"Sometime around the same time you became the first human Spectre. It's funny thinking about it, now. Watching the news and thinking to myself that's my sister up there. The first human Spectre."

"I don't even know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything. Look, I didn't bring you back so that you could do this alone. You need people you can trust, and people who believe in you aiding you on this mission. If you don't mind, I would certainly like to help. Would you mind if I served you aboard the Normandy?"

 _My admiral brother requesting to serve under me on my ship?_

"Deal."

And they shook on it.


	3. Settling In

"So this is the Normandy," Alan said as he stepped out of the airlock and onto the ship.

"Yep. This is my beloved ship. I'll introduce you to the Yeoman and she'll show you where you'll be staying," Shepard responded, helping Alan with his bags.

"Woah woah whoa, hold on one second!" Joker shouted, hobbling over to Shepard and her twin brother.

"It's not everyday that you hear your Commander has a long lost brother! Jeff Moreau, pilot of the Normandy, but you can call me Joker," he said, holding out his hand for a handshake.

Alan stared at his hand for a moment before shaking it hesitantly.

"Uh, Admiral Alan Shepard. Nice to meet you."

Joker saluted before hobbling back to his post.

"Is he okay? He has sort of a strange gait."

"Someone else will explain later. Anyway, let me introduce you to Kelly Chambers."

"Wow, two Shepards!" Kelly exclaimed.

"Yep." Shepard responded.

"I'll help you with your bags, Mr. Shepard."

"Please, call me Alan."

"Oh, how charming. And you can call me Kelly." She blushed, then led him to the elevator down to the crew's quarters where he would be staying.

Once they were gone, Shepard thought it'd be a good idea to check her private terminal for important messages. She saw a message from the Illusive Man saying he wanted to speak in the com room. Shepard went to the com room and turned on the communications terminal where the Illusive Man appeared.

"Shepard, I heard the news. I'm sure this endeavor will run much more smoothly with TWO Shepards on board. An Admiral and a Commander. The Alliance is going to have a fit when they find out their personnel is turning to Cerberus."

"We're not 'turning to' Cerberus. You're working for us to help US find the human colonies since the Alliance couldn't give a damn."

"Keep telling yourself that, Shepard. But that's not the only reason I called. Tell your brother that he doesn't have to stay in the crew's quarters. There's a much more comfortable spot on the ship. We'll set up another room on the same floor as yours. It'll give you two more time to get to know each other. On a mission like this, the closer you two are, the better. Have fun, Shepard."

He hung up and Shepard sighed. She went to the top floor of the Normandy where there was already a second fully furnished room set up next to her's and Kelly Chambers was helping Alan unpack his stuff and settle in.

"... and that's how I became an Admiral at 29," she heard him telling Kelly as she walked into the room.

"Everything alright up here?"

"Oh, Alan was just telling me the most interesting story. I'll get out of your hair now." She quickly dismissed herself and went back down the elevator.

"Any questions?" Shepard asked Alan.

"Just getting settled in for now. Do you mind if I walk around the ship and get to know the rest of the crew? I want to know what I'm really getting myself into before I get settled permanently."

"Yeah, sure."

"Oh, and one more thing. If you don't mind me asking... is Miranda Lawson single?"

 _Here we go,_ Shepard thought to herself.

She noticed Miranda eyeing him the whole time they were talking in his apartment, and she noticed Alan eyeing her from behind as they got back onto the ship. She contemplated lying to him just because she disliked Miranda, and the idea of THAT becoming her sister-in-law made her cringe.

"...Yeah I guess," she responded, obviously disgruntled.

"Maybe I should talk to her more."

"Yeah, maybe. Look I gotta go... uhh... calibrate... some... meditaions.. or... I don't know I'm just gonna go to the kitchen and make ramen," Shepard said hurriedly, looking for any way to excuse herself.

"Alright. If you need me I'll be talking to Ms. Lawson in her office."

"You do that," She said.

Then she went to make ramen.


	4. Oh, Baby!

Shepard sat in the mess hall eating ramen noodles when Samara walked by.

"Shepard, is that young man that just joined us on the ship really your brother?"

"Yes, why?"

"He is such a strapping and polite young man. He came by the Observation Deck just a moment ago for a chat. Did he really become an Admiral at 29?"

"I guess so.." Shepard sighed.

"That's all I wanted to know. Such a sweet young man." Samara mumbled under her breath as she walked away.

Although Shepard was happy to have someone else on board who supported her and her motives, and a family member, nonetheless, all of the "new member appreciation" began to wear thin on her. She got it, Alan was a sweet, handsome, ambitious young guy, and everyone probably wanted to bang him, but she didn't want anyone to forget who was in charge. She shook off the thought, thinking maybe she was just overreacting, and continued to eat her ramen.

As she ate, she heard giggling coming from Miranda's office. She looked behind her and saw Miranda and Alan walking out of the office heading toward the elevator.

"I have tons of old records from the early 2000's, real classic stuff. They're all in my room. Have you ever heard of Justin Bieber?" Shepard heard Alan asking Miranda.

"No, I haven't. Is he any good?"

"Oh, he's the best. Really good love songs and everything. He has this one song where like 70% of it is just the same word over and over again. Real catchy stuff. It's called 'Baby'. You'll love it!" Alan finished, rushing Miranda into the elevator and up to his cabin.

Shepard sighed once again, finished her ramen, and proceeded to put her dish into the sink. As she was checking the fridge for something to drink Garrus came up behind her.

"Shepard, fancy seeing you here, in the mess hall."

"You mean the place where literally everyone on the crew comes to eat at least twice a day?"

"...Yeah. Listen Shepard, could I possibly ask you for some... advice?"

"Concerning?"

"So you know how Tali is a person that is, um, also on this ship?"

"Okay?"

"I would like some advice on how one should... approach a person, such as herself, if they were to make it known that they wanted to, uh, pursue a relationship... of romantic nature."

"I don't know, tell her you like her."

"Well, from your own personal experience, if you don't mind me asking, how did you and Liara get together?"

Shepard smirked. "Well..."

* * *

 _Shepard was sitting at her desk in her cabin when Liara walked up behind her._

 _"Shepard may I speak with you for a moment?"_

 _"Look, Liara, I don't know if I have time to talk right now. There's a really big battle tomorrow, one of my friend's are dead and-"_

 _"Shepard it's really important. We might die tomorrow, and if we do, I don't want to die without... umm..."_

 _"What?"_

 _"Do you remember how I told you I'd never melded with anyone?"_

 _"Oh."_

 _There was an awkward silence for about thirty seconds._

 _"Well then, let's uh, start the "melding" process." Shepard awkwardly spurted out, breaking the silence._

 _Then they both got naked and you can guess what happened from there._

* * *

"Well Liara and I, just kind of talked a lot and got to know each other first. Ya know, the basics."

"Okay, Shepard. I think I'm going to go for it."

"You do that..."

And Garrus did just that. He headed down to the engineering deck with his heart on his sleeve ready to proclaim his love.

* * *

Meanwhile in Alan's cabin, Alan and Miranda had just finished doing some intense love making to the sound of Baby by Justin Bieber. Miranda turned toward Alan, holding him close and planting a kiss on his cheek.

"I'm not one to screw a guy the first day I meet him, but I certainly have no regrets about doing that."

"Same here. You know, Miranda, you're the first woman I've been with in a very long time. I feel like even though we just met, we have a really special connection."

"Really? How long is a long time for you, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Mmm, about maybe... what year is it?"

"2185.."

"Okay. I remember the last time I was with a woman like this I was in a serious relationship with a woman named Ashley. We met in the military sometime in 2179 and broke up in 2182. Last I heard she was a gunnery chief with in the 2nd Frontier Division. Haven't had any contact with her since we broke up."

"That relationship lasted a few years. Why did you two break up?"

"One day we got into a really heated argument about intergalactic space relations. She insisted that humans should just keep to themselves and work for themselves because Aliens couldn't be trusted. I insisted that working with other races would improve not only the galaxy, but mankind as well. I just assumed she was being a huge space racist and I didn't want to date anyone as ignorant as her. I wonder where she is now. Nevermind, let's not worry about that. Let's talk about you, Miranda."

"Well, I-" and Miranda went on and on as her and Alan continued to enjoy their time together.


	5. Trouble on the Horizon

Shepard sat alone in her cabin at her desk looking over data pads when she got a buzz at her cabin door.

"Come in." She grumbled, knowing she wasn't really much in the mood for company, but she didn't want to seem rude by turning people away.

"Hey, Commander." Jacob said, walking into the room. "I've got some news from the Illusive Man, he says he wants to talk to you down in the Comm room."

She shrugged, then made her way down to the Comm room.

* * *

"What do you want?" Shepard said in an obviously disgruntled mood.

"Shepard, what's with the attitude? That's no way to walk to your boss!" shouted the Illusive Man.

"Look the way I see it, we're co-partners. I can't do this without you, and you know you can't do this without me if you're going to spend a quadrillion bucks just to bring me back. But that's beside the point, why did you call me down here?"

"Well, Shepard, I'll have you know I called you down here for a very important reason. I've just received word of a distress signal from Horizon. Most likely Collector Activity. I'm sending you and a small team to check it out."

"Will do."

"Oh, and Shepard, you should take your brother with you on this one."

"I don-"

"That's not a suggestion, that's an order."

Shepard mumbled curses under her breath and continued on.

* * *

Back on Horizon, Operations Chief Ashley Williams gathered a small reinforcement team along with the colonists in order to update them on what she believed to be an oncoming Cerberus attack.

"We gotta have this defense team operational if we want to protect these colonists. Cerberus doesn't even know what's coming."

Suddenly, a large ship of unrecognizable structure landed on the planet. Immediately dozens upon dozens of strange looking aliens and weird bugs began pouring out. The bugs overtook the soldiers and colonists, seemingly putting them in Stasis in the process. The inhabitants of Horizon, still conscious, although unable to move, watched in horror as the foreign creatures began to overtake the planet.

 _WHAT ARE THOOOOOOOOSE_ , Ashley thought to herself, as she was unable to voice her thoughts due to being in Stasis.

Shepard, along with Alan and Garrus in tow, landed on Horizon and began slaughtering the creatures. One by one, and two by two, the creatures were killed by assault rifles, sniper rifles, and grenades. This took some time to accomplish, as there were many many creatures on the planet. Once all of the slaughtering was done, Shepard took some time to make sure all of the colonists were okay. Once they were all out of Stasis and she was able to talk to them, she asked them who was in charge.

"I don't know if I'm allowed to answer that question. Who are you?"

"Wait, how do you NOT know who I am? I'm-"

"Commander Shepard of the SSV Normandy. It's an honor to make your acquaintance." Ashley started.

"Ashley Williams? What are you doing here?" Shepard asked.

"Well, I was- wait a minute... Alan?"

"Oh dear." Alan said wiping sweat off of his brow and turning his head away. In a high pitch British accent he remarked, "Uhh, no one's home right now, please leave a message after the beep."

"Alan, I know it's you, cut the crap. What are YOU- oh, hey Garrus!"

Garrus gave a polite smile and wave, then gestured as if to tell Ashley to continue her conversation. He was very interested, and although Shepard wanted to maintain a professional posture and expression, on the inside she was very enveloped in the story that was unraveling in front of her.

"Alan what are you doing here?"

"German is my sister. I'm helping her with the Reaper threat. Why does it matter to you?"

"Hold on for one second. Can someone please catch me up on what's occurring here?"

"Ashley and I used to date for about three years. We BROKE UP A LONG TIME AGO and I DON'T FEEL LIKE ANYTHING I DO IS HER BUSINESS!" Alan asserted.

"Wait a minute, you guys dated?" Shepard asked.

"Wait a minute, you two are related?" Ashley replied.

"Oh goodness. Shepard, is it true that you're also working for Cerberus now?"

"Yes, why?"

"Okay so, my Ex-Commander is working for Cerberus, and my ex-fiancee is her brother, and also working for Cerberus. What else did I miss, are you also going to tell me you brought back the Bubonic Plague?"

"Ashley you know I didn't bring back the- wait did you just say ex-fiancee?"

"Yes, we were engaged for half a year." Alan mumbled.

"What made you guys break it off?"

"Ask him." Ashley hissed.

"Ashley is a space racist. I can't marry a space racist. I can't have children with a space racist! What would've happened if we'd had children? What would she say? Don't talk to that Krogan over there, you know how shifty THEY can be! And oh, that Salarian? He'll fast talk you out of a hundred dollars in a second! She's so ignorant!" Alan's tone intensified as he went on.

"Alan, I loved you! I would've married you! I would've had your children! You broke my heart!"

"WAH WAH WAH WHINE ABOUT IT!"

As they argued back and forth, Garrus and Shepard grew more and more uncomfortable as the situation continued to heighten.

"Well look at the time. Whew it is getting late! I think it's time for us to head back to the Normandy. It was nice catching up with you, Ashley. Good luck with your future endeavors!" Shepard remarked as she began to drag Garrus and a still intensely boiling Alan back to the Normandy. Once they were clearly back on the ship and Shepard was positive she knew no one was in earshot, she looked out of the window as the ship began to take off and mumbled something under her breath.

"I knew I should've left her back on Virmire."


	6. Rekindling

"What a fucking bitch! God, I hate her!" Alan ranted, obviously still fuming as he paced back and forth in Shepard's cabin. "I mean, seriously? Who does she think she is talking to me like that after we saved HER ass from the fire!"

"Calm down, Alan." Shepard replied, half listening to Alan while checking her personal messages at her private terminal. "It's not a big deal. You guys loved each other once and now it's over. You don't even have to see her ever again if you don't want to. Besides, I know you moved on. Miranda's been talking about the night you two spent together to anyone who would listen. And I'm sure that Ashley is- hold on... Speaking of the Devil, I just got a message from her."

Shepard began to read the letter out loud:

 **From: Ashley Williams**

 _ **Subject Line: Please let me explain**_

 _Shepard, I know that today got a little heated, and I'm really sorry that you had to witness that. It's just that after me and Alan broke up a lot of mess was left unsolved and he dropped off the face of the Earth and wouldn't contact me. I've tried so many times to repair what we had, and I've never felt the way about anyone else that I felt about him. What you witnessed was a the eruption of a volcano of emotions that had been building up for some time. I just wanted to talk to him, but, well you saw what happened. Please tell him that I'm sorry and if he would, to please see me sometime on The Citadel for a chat. I promise, this one won't get too heated._

 _\- Ash_

"So she wants to see you on the Citadel."

"Why?"

"I'm pretty sure you just heard me read that entire message." Shepard replied in a snarky fashion.

"I don't want to see her. Besides, what would Miranda say?"

"Nothing, if she doesn't find out."

"But-"

"But what? You too sleep together one time and suddenly her opinion is a big deal? Look, just see Ashley. It seems like all she wants is answers, because obviously to her it feel like you just cut her off suddenly for a minuscule reason. Just talk to her, be done with it, and walk away." Shepard finished, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms.

After a lengthy pause, Alan sighed and finally replied. "Fine, I'll see her. But just this ONCE and I'm never talking to her again."

"Okay." Shepard turned back to her computer and continued on with her business.

* * *

The next day, the Normandy ended up doing a routine stop on The Citadel for fuel and supplies. As Alan had promise, he had Shepard set up a meeting for him and Ashley to meet at a restaurant. Somewhere public to make sure that neither of them would make it a point to start a scene. When Alan arrived at the cafe, he saw Ashley, already sitting down. He approached the table with caution.

"You.. wanted to see me?" Alan asked, hesitantly.

"Please sit down." Ashley requested.

He took a seat.

"What did you want to talk about?"

"Alan, I'm really sorry about how I treated you on Horizon, but as soon as I saw you I became filled with all of these suppressed emotions built up from you leaving me all those years ago. I wanted to ask you why what broke us up broke us up in the first place."

Alan took a deep breath and thought long and hard before answering.

"Do you remember when we were both just privates in the Alliance and I was looking at being promoted?"

"Yes."

"One day our captain approached me and told me that the promotion would involve me working with other races. Turians, namely. He said the only thing holding them back from considering me was the fact that they thought I didn't like other races. I asked him why and he said it was because I was involved with you. 'Well why would that matter?' I wondered. Apparently you'd said some stuff in private that was VERY racist and someone told the captain! I thought to myself 'No way! Ashley isn't like that!' So I decided to casually bring up a conversation about Intergalactic Space Relations just to see what you'd say, and it was all true! I couldn't believe what I was hearing! And that was when I cut you off... and got my promotion."

Ashley sat dumbfounded for a moment looking for an adequate response.

"You... broke up with me... for a promotion?"

"Yes, and because you seemed like a terrible person and you were hindering me from advancing in life."

"Alan, I-I've changed since then. When I first started working on the Normandy, I carried those same views, I'll admit. But not until I started working with other races did I realize that you were right. I'm sorry we didn't see eye to eye all that time ago, but if it's not too much to ask, could we still be friends?"

Alan could tell by the sincerity of her words that she was telling the truth and it made him feel strangely attached to her again.

"I'd like that, Ashley." He replied, smiling.

They stood up and hugged, but the hug seemed to linger for much longer than a usual friendly hug.

"You know what, Ash? How about you join me on the ship for a while, just so we can catch up in my cabin, ya know? For old times sake."

"I'd like that."

* * *

Shepard was wandering the Citadel when she entered a gift shop and saw Miranda and Tali standing inside picking out gifts.

"Hey, what are you two up to?" Shepard asked.

"Oh we're just picking out gifts. Miranda's looking for gift for Alan, and I'm looking for something to give Garrus for our first date tonight!" Tali replied, excitedly.

"Shepard, do you know anything about Alan? His likes? Dislikes? I want to find him a really nice gift!" asked Miranda, almost sounding a bit desperate.

"I've only known him for like a few days. All I know is he likes old CD's from the early 2000's and really bitchy women."

"OLD CD'S! That's it!" Miranda headed out of the gift shop and toward the vintage collector's shop.

Shepard rolled her eyes in Miranda's direction.

"Anyway, I'm kind of tired, I think I'm just going to head back to the ship."

* * *

Shepard returned to the Normandy and headed straight for her personal cabin.

 _Finally some alone time_ , she thought to herself.

Once she got to the top floor, she heard loud music, squealing, and grunting coming from Alan's room. She was pretty tired and she wanted to rest in silence and was going to request he kept the noise level down. She buzzed at his door, but he didn't answer, most likely because he couldn't hear it, so she decided to just enter the pass code and unplug the stereo once she was inside. When the door opened she began to speak.

"HEY ALAN, IS IT POSSIBLE YOU COULD- WHAT THE HELL!"

What Shepard witnessed once she was inside was an image she wished she could erase from her mind immediately. It was the portrait of Alan and Ashley, nude and in a very compromising embrace. Alan pushed Ashley off of him, grabbed a pillow to cover himself, and turned off the stereo.

"I can totally explain all of this." Alan started.

"You know what, you two? I don't care. I didn't see anything. Please keep the music down, I'm trying to take a nap." She then turned and went straight to her cabin.

Ashley picked herself up off the ground and covered herself with a blanket.

"Gee, that was close, wasn't it, Ash? For a minute there I thought she knew we were having sex."

"Yeah, me too!" Ashley replied.

They then continued to have sex.


	7. Something Else

Shepard was fast asleep in her cabin when she awoke the sound of constant buzzing at her door. She sat up in bed and stretched her limbs before standing up and answering with an unenthusiastic "Come in already."

The door opened to Joker limping his way into the room.

"Hey, Shepard. You've got a surprise visitor at your door."

"You're not that much of a surprise."

"Not me, Commander. I'm talking about her!" He said, pointing to a figure that was sauntering its way through the door.

"Nice to see you, Shepard." Liara said, walking toward Shepard with open arms.

"Liara! What a pleasant surprise!" Shepard replied, putting her arms around her.

"Anyway, I gotta go, Commander. Piloting ain't doing itself!" Joker replied, well, jokingly.

"That's because I'm piloting, Jeff." EDI interrupted over the intercom. "And my auto pilot only works effectively for a few moments at a time, so I would recommend returning to the cockpit."

"Uhh..." Joker quickly hobbled down the elevator.

"Liara, what are you doing here?" Shepard said, striking conversation.

They both sat down on the couch and Shepard pulled out a bottle of wine and two glasses.

"I happened to be visiting the Citadel for some important business, and I heard the Normandy was docked here."

"Well, lucky us!" Shepard replied, gladly. Just as they were going to cheers, Alan ran into the room.

"German, you've got to- Liara? Hey, how are ya?"

"I'm quite well, thank you. And you, Alan?"

"Oh I've just been-"

"Hey hey hey!" Shepard interrupted. "Alan, what did you come in here for?"

"Oh, that. Look, German, I did a bad thing."

 _Finally,_ Shepard thought to herself.

"Okay. What does that have to do with me?"

"So I went to talk with Ashley, and I ended up inviting her onto the ship. We started talking and we realized there might have still been something there. And then one thing led to another, we 'rekindled our relationship', if you want to call it that, and now we're thinking about getting back together."

"Once again, what does that have to do with me?"

"Well, once I kicked Ashley off the ship, Miranda came into my cabin holding a bunch of old CDs. She told me about how hard it was to find them, yet she'd go 'to the ends of the Earth to do anything for me', and then she stroked my cheek, lovingly. That's when I told Miranda that we could no longer be together, and of course, one thing led to another, and uhh, I'm so sorry, Germ, but you've lost her loyalty because of me..."

"WHAT!?" Shepard shouted. "YOU LOST ME HER LOYALTY? I HAVE TO GO OUT OF MY WAY TO DRAG MY ASS TO ILLIUM, JUST SO I CAN SAVE HER LITTLE SISTER FROM HER CUCKOO NUT DAD, AND I DON'T EVEN LIKE HER, MIND YOU, AND YOU'RE GOING TO TELL ME I-"

"Should I come back at another time, Shepard? It seems like this situation is getting a little hectic." Liara interjected.

"I'm sorry, Liara. I just got mad. Alan, you're starting to seem like more trouble than you're worth."

"I know it looks that way, but I have a very simple solution. We kick Miranda off the Normandy."

"Alan, what the hell?"

"Hear me out. We kick her off the ship, that way she'll still be alive and she won't be distracted during the final mission, and she won't get herself killed."

"I'll admit, I don't hate that idea, but that won't happen. She's The Illusive Man's right hand and he won't approve. Plus her expertise is necessary for the final mission. As a matter of fact, Alan, if you don't find a way to fix this before we have to go through the Omega 4 Relay, I'm kicking YOU off the ship."

"What, you can't do that!"

"It's MY ship. It existed before you, and it'll exist after you, but without me, there IS no Normandy. NOW GO FIX THIS PROBLEM!"

Alan saluted and dashed down the elevator as fast as possible. Shepard picked up her wine glass and looked Liara in the eye.

"Now where were we?"

* * *

Alan stood in front of Miranda's office holding roses. He began mumbling to himself as sweat dripped off his forehead.

"Just give her the roses and apologize. Giver her the roses, apologize, keep your pants on."

Just as he was going to go in, Thane walked by and Alan got an idea.

"Thane! Just the man I was looking for! How are ya doing, buddy?"

"Buddy? You're a nice guy, but I barely know you, which gives me the impression that you want to ask me for a favor. What do you need, Mr. Shepard?"

"Looks like no one can pull the wool over your eyes! Could you do me a huge favor and take these roses to Miranda's office? I heard that something bad happened to her, and I think it would be a really nice gesture if you walked into her office with these and said a few kind words. But whatever you do, DON'T ask her about what happened! It's something REALLY personal, and she PROBABLY won't want to talk about it!"

Thane looked at the roses, and then at Alan, and back at the roses.

"Just a few kind words?"

"Yes, and make sure not to tell her the roses are from me."

Thane shrugged and headed towards Miranda's office holding the roses.

* * *

Miranda sat in her office sobbing over a cluster of datapads when she heard a buzzing at her door.

"GO AWAY!" she shouted in an Australian accent, which made sense since she was probably Australian or something.

Thane decided to walk into the office anyway, hovering over Miranda as he held a dozen roses.

"I heard you weren't feeling well, so I brought you these." Thane said, handing her the flowers.

Miranda looked up and took them. She wiped her face with the back of her hand.

"Oh, thank you, Thane."

"Anytime, for a hurting friend." He smiled and began to walk out.

"Wait, are you going so soon? Wouldn't you like to stay for a chat?"

Thane turned back around and took a seat at her desk.

* * *

Shepard and Liara were cuddling on the sofa in her cabin when Alan intruded once again.

"Ladies, I think I've solved the problem!" he proclaimed, proudly. "I don't think you have to worry about Miranda being distracted with me anymore."

"Alan, what did you do?" asked Shepard, impatiently.

"Follow me, and you'll find out." He led them down the elevator and towards the door of Miranda's office, put their ears to the door and could immediately hear grunting and moaning coming from her office.

"Who's in there with her?" Shepard asked, curiously.

"Oh God, I think I'm hallucinating! Everything is turning different colors, why is everything turning different colors?" They could hear Miranda saying through the door.

"It's ju-mm it's just a side effect of human-drell relations." They heard Thane respond.

"Doesn't do- ahh doesn't doing this mess with your Kepral's Syndrome?"

"Don't worry, it won't affect my performance."

Shepard's face began to turn green.

"If any of you need me, I'll be puking somewhere."

Alan pumped his fist. "Yeah, I get to stay on the ship!"

Liara looked Alan up and down.

"You're really something else, aren't you, Alan?"


	8. Don't Mind if I Do!

It had been some time now since Alan had joined the Normandy, and the deadline for the final mission was approaching quickly. EDI was updating the Normandy's systems, which meant that if anyone wanted to get anywhere, they'd have to go by shuttle.

"It looks like we have to do some bullshit thing on this planet, so we should probably just leave the Normandy out here in Reaper space so we can go check on that insignificant thing. Also, I'm taking the whole crew with me, so Joker, make sure you keep the Normandy in check, alright?"

"Will do, Commander." Joker responded with a salute.

"Also, in case anyone attacks, use this very small and useless gun that likely won't do anything to protect you, but I'm sure nothing's going to happen, anyway. Alright, team, everyone to the shuttle!" Shepard commanded, waving her hand towards the airlock as she headed in that direction herself.

Once everyone was gone, Joker took it upon himself to do his routine check of the Normandy's systems to ensure everything was running smoothly.

"Okay, this thing is doing the thing it's supposed to do. This thing looks like it's doing what it's supposed to do. This thing... looks good to me. This doohicky is doohickying, and thi- hey what's going on with this thing? EDI, can you check that out? The readings seem off."

"The Normandy's location is being transmitted."

"Transmitted? To who? What's going on?"

"It appears that there is a virus in the Normandy's systems."

"Virus? But who-"

Just then, Joker and EDI's conversation was interrupted by a loud crashing sound and some screaming.

"JESUS, WHAT WAS THAT?"

"I believe the Normandy has just been invaded. But I can help you. You have to get down to the AI core through the maintenance shaft, then get to the engineering deck and give me control of the Normandy's systems."

"I guess I have no other choice."

Joker hauled his crippled ass from his chair, passed the invaders, who were kidnapping members of the crew, toward the maintenance shaft and down to the AI core, and then to the engine room.

"I'm going to be so in trouble, I had ONE job!" Joker whined.

"That is not important now, Jeff. I need control of the ship. Once I have assumed control I will seal off the engine room and open the airlocks, killing any other life forms on board."

"But what about the rest of the crew?"

"They are gone, Jeff. The Collectors took them."

"OH GOD I'M GOING TO BE SO IN TROUBLE."

Joker gave EDI control of the ship, and she opened the airlocks, killing any Collectors left on board. Joker sat on the ground and sighed.

"Call Shepard and tell her what happened." He hobbled back to his seat, disappointed.

* * *

"JESUS CHRIST JOKER YOU HAD ONE JOB!" Shepard shouted.

"I KNOW, YELL AT ME SOME MORE WHY DON'T YOU!" Joker shouted back.

"Yelling at each other isn't going to get us anywhere. We need to stop getting mad at each other and start getting mad at whoever took our friends." Alan interjected.

"You're right Alan. I'm sorry I yelled, Joker."

Joker waved Shepard off, obviously still disappointed in himself.

Jacob spoke up.

"So the crew is gone, what do we do now? Do we go get them back now? The longer we wait, we don't know what could happen. They could be killing them one by one, all at once, or just holding them around for a while."

"That's a good point, Jacob. But we don't know if we're a hundred percent ready yet. And for a mission like this, we need to be 110% ready. I say we wait until we're completely and utterly prepared and let some of them die before we help them. Better them than us, right?" Miranda added.

"No one cares about what you say, self absorbed, Cerberus cheerleader, bitch." Jack added quite bitterly.

Shepard wanted to laugh at Jack's comment, but she surprisingly kept her composure, minus a little smirk that she hoped no one saw. She cleared her throat before making her decision.

"I think we're as prepared as we can get. EDI, set course for the Omega 4 Relay."

"Shepard, are you sure about this?" Garrus asked.

"THEY HAVE OUR FRIENDS, GARRUS! THEY HAVE OUR FRIENDS! THEY HAVE KELLY, AND I HAVEN'T EVEN BANGED HER YET! MOST IMPORTANTLY, THEY HAVE CHAKWAS. THEY HAVE OUR ADORABLE MRS. DOUBTFIRE. OUR MARY POPPINS. OUR OLD BRITISH LADY DOCTOR. YES I AM SURE. EDI, SET COURSE FOR THE GODDAMN OMEGA 4 RELAY AND IF ANOTHER ONE OF YOU QUESTIONS MY JUDGEMENT THEN STRAIGHT THROUGH THE AIRLOCK YOU GO!" Shepard blurted. She looked around the table at all of the open mouths, put her pointed finger down, and asserted calmly, "I mean, yes, Garrus. We are going now. Excuse me everyone." Shepard then disappeared to her private quarters.

* * *

That night everyone was fixated on finishing some "last minute business" on the ship, namely, getting laid.

Miranda sat in her office looking at a picture of Thane. She began to reminisce about all of the romantic things he'd say to her such as "The only person I can think of more beautiful than you is my dead wife" and her favorite, "I'll never love anyone more than my wife, this includes you."

She put the portrait back into her desk and began typing at her computer. Just then, Jacob walked into the room.

"Hey, Miranda. Fancy seeing you in your office." He proclaimed.

"Jacob, what are you doing in here?"

"Just wanted to.. uhh.. chat. Ya know, like we used to when we first joined Cerberus."

"Oh. Well if it's THAT kind of chatting..." she drifted off. She then stood up, locked her office door, and turned off the lights.

* * *

Thane could heard grunting and moaning coming from Miranda's office as he headed toward the Starboard Observation Deck. Upon entering the room, he saw Samara sitting on the couch having a glass of wine rather than sitting in her usual meditation pose.

"Thane, have you come to chat?"

"Actually, I came for another reason." He admitted. He sat next to her on the sofa and awkwardly put his arm around her.

"This... is very awkward." He removed his arm. "I will be honest and admit why I actually came. Tonight may be my last night alive, and if it is, I would like to feel close to someone, to FEEL ALIVE."

"So you've come to..." Samara paused. "If it is also my last night alive, I see no reason why this should not occur." She threw her arms around him and smiled.

* * *

Garrus was calibrating some bullshit in the Main Battery when Tali interrupted him.

"Garrus! I've been looking for you all day!" Tali enthused.

"Really now? I hardly believe that is true considering if you had been taking your search seriously, I've been in this same room all day."

"I'll be honest, Vakarian. I like you and I think you're a very nice guy."

He crossed his arms. "Oh really?"

"I've been talking to Mordin Solus and he gave me some antibiotics, which I took plenty of just in case, you know, and now I'm getting nervous and I'm babbling like an idiot and-"

Garrus took her mask off, and the magic began.

* * *

Mordin was fast at work in his lab, just as he was fast at anything. He was looking at some test results for some random experiment he was likely conducting just to pass time, when Grunt walked in.

"No, not right, need more time for experimentation. Maybe... no no, start from scratch."

"Hey Doc, it's getting kind of boring down in that place that you guys have me staying. You want to strike up some conversation?"

"Conversation? Mmm... what about?"

"I don't know, anything. You Salarians always have something to talk about."

"Hm, scanning brain for conversation topics... nope, can't think of one."

"How about you take me through the history of how the Genophage got started. That's always fun to talk about."

"Full history of Genophage? Perhaps... where to begin..."

* * *

Legion sat alone in the AI core. That is literally all he did.

* * *

"I can't believe we're actually doing this right now." Joker huffed.

"It was bound to happen sooner or later, Jeff." EDI replied.

"Yeah, but I can't help but think that this could have all been prevented. The whole crew is gone and it's MY fault."

"It is not your fault, Jeff. I don't think anyone expected a cripple to save an entire ship from an oncoming Collector threat. All that matters now is obtaining the crew and destroying the enemy."

"You're right, EDI. We've got this!"

* * *

Shepard sat alone in her private quarters finishing up some paperwork as she could hear Alan in the room next door chatting with Ashley on the phone. She wasn't paying too close attention, but she swore she could hear sobbing and "Baby, I love you so much. I don't know if I'll be back but I *sniffle* love you so much!"

 _What a wimp,_ she thought to herself. Regardless, she tuned him out.

Just as she was starting another page, she heard a buzzing at her cabin door.

"Come in," she shouted.

In through the door walked Jack.

"Uhh, hey Shepard." she started, awkwardly.

"Jack? What are you up to? What are you doing up here?"

She swayed back and forth as if she was too shy to ask for what she went to her cabin for.

"You know, Ger- Shepard," she stuttered, trying to casually use her first name, but failing miserably. "It uhh, it gets kind of lonely down in the the uhh, basement ya know. People don't really come down to visit too often."

"Yeah, isn't that the reason you wanted to be in the basement? The whole 'lack of through traffic' thing?"

"I'm trying to be upfront, but forgive me if it's difficult."

"Upfront? About what?" Shepard looked her in the eye. Jack swayed her heard back and forth and then looked away. That's when Shepard realized what she came for.

"Oh. Oh. OH! Yeah... I don't know what to do now." They stood in awkward silence.

"So do we just, ya know, jump right into it?" Jack uttered.

"Perhaps we should loosen up first," Shepard suggested. She pulled out two champagne glasses filled them up, and handed one to Jack.

"Don't mind if I do!"


	9. The Point of No Return

Shepard awoke with a hangover, very little clothing on, and a nude, sleeping Jack smiling draped over her. Shepard had drank so much that she'd forgotten she'd made the heinous decision of sleeping with a heavily tattooed, emo biotic. Just as she was coming to her senses, Joker's voice came booming over the intercom.

"Normandy crew! Rise and shine! It's time for all of you to put your clothes back on and get down here. We're set to hit the relay in forty-five minutes!"

Jack woke up and looked up at Shepard.

"Oh, God. I actually did that? I thought me coming to your room and asking you for sex was just a really weird dream."

"It was a dream all right," Shepard responded with a grin on her face.

* * *

Miranda and Jacob woke up on the bed in her office, stretching their limbs.

"I think I've banged almost every guy on the ship."

"Miranda, you need to get it together."

* * *

Thane and Samara awoke on the Starboard Observation Deck.

"I'm very glad that we spent last night together. I will cherish the memories," Thane confided, rather romantically.

Samara coddled him, lovingly.

* * *

Garrus and Tali were still awake in the main battery, never having gotten any sleep from the previous nights events.

"Mordin said there'd be quite a bit of chafing, but..."

"Yeah, sorry about that."

* * *

Mordin shook to consciousness, slumped in a chair in his office. He remembered him and Grunt, who was still fast asleep in the chair he'd pulled up, talking about the Genophage, but he'd gone on so long he didn't remember either of them falling asleep. He walked over to Grunt and shook him awake. Grunt jumped up in a hurry and looked all around him, bewildered.

"What the hell am I doing in here?"

"Late night conversations. Wanted to talk. Genophage. No memory?"

"Oh yeah, I remember that. We'll finish our conversation later. I gotta go put my good armor on." He clapped his hands together, which startled Mordin. "TIME TO BEAT SOME COLLECTOR ASS."

* * *

Legion polished his sniper rifle, still alone in the AI core. But Legion was a robot, so loneliness didn't really affect him.

* * *

Moments later the crew gathered on the bridge of the Normandy and braced for impact.

"Alright everyone, brace yourselves!" Joker exclaimed.

EDI began the countdown.

"Hitting the Omega 4 Relay in 3...2..."

 _The point of no return,_ Shepard thought to herself.

"1..."

The ship was immediately hit with a plethora of debris from other wrecked ships. The crew of the Normandy was jolted around as the Normandy was hit by one thing or another. Once the ship settled down, they realized they were in and everything was okay, for now.

The squad gathered in the briefing room as EDI scanned the site.

"Alright EDI, what do you have for us?"

"It appears as if the weak spot is in the central control center of the building. This is also the likely location of the rest of the Normandy's crew and any remaining colonists."

"Okay, crew. We can get there in two ways, one team through the front, which I'll lead, and a stealth team going through the back. We're going to need a leader for the second team, and a tech specialist to get them through."

"Commander," Miranda interjected, "I have quite the commanding skills, and I think I'd be the PERFECT person to lead the stealth team. I mean, I am perfect an-"

"NO ONE WANTS TO TAKE ORDERS FROM YOU YOU BIG TOOTHED, NOT EVEN PERFECT, SELFISH, WHORE SLUT, CERBERUS CHEERLEADER BITCH!" Jack shouted.

"Jesus, Jack." Shepard replied. "Garrus, you lead the fire team."

"Will do, Commander."

"And... tech specialist, well Tali, you seem to be the most tech person on this squad, so naturally I will choose Legion because he is a robot and less likely to mess up than you are."

"Affirmative Shepard-Commander."

Before they departed the ship, Shepard made her way to the bridge and took the mic from the intercom to give a speech.

"ALRIGHT, BITCHES. LISTEN TO ME. THIS IS YOUR COMMANDER SPEAKING. WE WENT THROUGH HELL TO PUT THIS SHIT TOGETHER, AND I'LL BE DAMNED IF YOU LITTLE SHITS FUCK THIS UP FOR ME. I SPENT TWO YEARS DEAD, CAME BACK TO LIFE, ALL OF THIS MONEY, TIME, AND EFFORT HAVE ACCUMULATED TO THIS VERY MOMENT. THE MOST IMPORTANT MOMENT OF YOUR PITIFUL SORRY LIVES. WE'RE GOING TO GO INTO THIS REAPER BASE AND FUCK THEIR SHIT UP. AND IF I DIE TRYING TO STOP THEM, THEN I'M DRAGGING MIRANDA DOWN WITH ME. LET'S HIT 'EM WHERE IT HURTS. OVER AND OUT."

* * *

Once Commander Shepard's jaw dropping, inspirational speech was complete, the teams headed towards their goals.

"Shepard-Commander, I have reached the ventilation shaft. You have to unlock the vents or else I could overheat and shut down."

"Affirmative, Le- JESUS CHRIST COLLECTORS EVERYWHERE!"

Shepard, equipped with Grunt and Samara, began taking the Collectors down with actiony force. Once they went down and they reached the end of that section, they got through the doors where the second team already was and Legion was struggling to close the doors.

"Come on, Legion!"

He tapped furiously at the console until finally the doors were shut with no casualties.

* * *

The next room they ended up in was full of tubes and pods. Inside of the pods were people they recognized. Members from the colony on Horizon, or Normandy crew members. Shepard walked up to a pod with a colony member inside. She tapped on it, waking the woman up. Once she was awake she began furiously banging on the glass panel, only to be turned into reaper goo.

"HURRY, GET ALL THE OTHERS OUT OF THE PODS!" Shepard commanded. All of the team members began prying pods open, pulling out Normandy crew members: Kelly, Gabby, Ken, and CHAKWAS! Shepard was ecstatic as she greeted Chakwas.

"DOC! YOU'RE HERE, IT'S REALLY YOU!" Shepard hugged her, lifting her up off her feet as she did so.

"Shepard, you came! We're so happy to see you."

"I'm glad you guys are here, but we've got to get you to safety. Mordin, would you mind escorting these people back to ship?"

"Will do, Commander. Joker, send coordinates."

EDI interjected over Shepard's omni-tool.

"Shepard, I am noticing fierce seeker swarm activity coming from the next room. Perhaps you should think about creating a barrier to keep them from getting to you."

Miranda declared, "Maybe you could use a biotic field to keep them from getting to you. Perhaps I might know of a strong, beautiful, intelligent biotic woman to hold the field for you."

"You're right, Miranda. Samara, do you think you could hold a biotic field to get a small team through the next room?" Shepard requested.

"I will do my best."

"Good, now all we need is someone to lead a distraction team. Jacob, this one is all you."

"Gotcha, Commander."

"Alright, team. Over and out."

* * *

Shepard, along with Jack and Grunt, with Samara holding the field, pushed through the seeker swarms to get to the other side. Once they were almost there, they noticed that Samara had begun to wear out.

"Just a little... bit... longer... almost... there...," she urged. Once they were almost there, they began to jog to the finish line. Samara, almost completely out of energy, turned around and gave the Collectors one last biotic BURST, sending them back light years. The team then made it through the doors.

Once everyone was through, without casualties, Shepard looked over the squad.

"Looks like whatever is in the next room is going to be the final battle."

Miranda stood next to her. "Shepard is going to take two people with her and the rest of us are going to defend our position.

Shepard side eyed her. "Yeah, okay. Anyway I'm taking two people with me. Alan, get up here."

"Yeeesss!" he exclaimed.

"And... Jack, get up here."

"Oh lord..."

Shepard went on as she nudged Miranda off of the pedestal next to her and pulled Jack up. Alan was already standing on her other side.

"Alright team. This is the final push. We've gotten this far and you people haven't fucked things up yet. Let's keep this momentum going. Over and out."

"What an inspiring human," Samara remarked as she wiped a tear away.

"We will not let you down, Shepard." Thane added.

* * *

Once they were through to the other side, they killed a bunch of Collectors, who just happened to be in the way. Then some floaty platform thingy carried them to where the tubes were leading them to. Once they were in the room, Shepard couldn't help but exclaim her fright from what she saw.

"LORD MY JESUS HOLY MOTHER OF COMMUNION WAFERS WHAT IS THAT!"

"It appears to be a Reaper in the making. This Reaper being made from humans." EDI explained.

"What in the... why is this happening? There is no reason for this occurrence!" Shepard was so dumbfounded she didn't even have words for what she saw.

"We have to blow this thing to hell. Bye bye scary human reaper thing!" Shepard pulled out the M-920 Cain, aimed it at the Reaper, and blew it to hell. The whole squad wiped their foreheads and prepared to head back to the ship.

"Whew, well that was a lot simpler than I thought." Shepard remarked. She seemingly spoke too soon, for as soon as she turned her back, the Reaper popped back up out of nowhere and began breaking pieces of the platform.

"JESUS SHEPARD KILL IT WITH FIRE!" Jack cried.

"I CAN'T I DON'T HAVE ANYMORE AMMO IN MY HEAVY WEAPON!"

That's when Alan pulled out his back up M-920 Cain and fired right at the soul of the Reaper. It went down, once again, this time never returning.

"Alan, thank goodness. I knew you'd come in handy someday."

"Yep!" Alan exclaimed proudly.

"Now time to blow this station to pieces."

Just as Shepard was placing the bomb, The Illusive Man contacted her via omni-tool.

"Shepard, before you set off the bomb, I have an idea."

"Idea? I'm listening."

"We don't have to get rid of the entire station. The technology in here is priceless. We could use the Reaper's technology against them. I could set the bomb to release a pulse that will kill all of the remaining creatures on board, while keeping the technology intact."

"Mmm...," Shepard thought, "Or I could just blow up the whole station like I came here to do in the first place."

"No, Shepard. You're not hearing me. I'm saying we-"

"Sorry I can't hear you over the sound of me about to blow the entire station to hell. Bye." Shepard said, hanging up on The Illusive Man.

"Alright the bomb is set. We gotta go now. EVERYONE MOVE MOVE MOVE!"

Alan and Jack followed Shepard as they all bolted through the station towards the Normandy. All of the other crew was already on board and Joker was wielding an assault rifle making sure Shepard's back was covered. They all got back to the ship with no more than a few minor afflictions.

"We did it team!" Shepard beamed.

Everyone hugged, laughed, cried, and celebrated as they made it through the Omega 4 Relay.

* * *

Shepard stood in the comm room, still clad in her legendary N7 armor as she conversed with The Illusive Man.

"Shepard, do you know what you've done?"

"Umm, I'm thinking I did exactly what we teamed up to do."

"You could've saved that technology. That could've worked to our benefit!"

"Our benefit, or your benefit?"

"They are not dissimilar. Cerberus' only goal is the advancement of manki-"

"Yadda yadda, yeah, whatever. The mission is over and you're no longer my boss so..." Shepard hung up on him once again.

She left the comm room and saw her entire squad polishing their armor and weapons after a long and hard fought battle. As she walked by, they all looked up toward her with approving nods and smiles. Joker handed her a clipboard that had Reaper schematics on it. She carried the clipboard to the window and looked out into the universe, grinning into space.


End file.
